Serving mallet



June 1946. A. A. LAUGHERY, J 7 01,357

- SERVING MALLET r Filed March 3, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l ALFRED A. LAUGHERY JR.

June 4, 1946. A LAUGHERY, JR 7 2,401,357

SERVING MALLET Filed March 5, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- ALFRED A. LAUGHERY JR.

Patented June 4, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a tool for Wrapping a length of marline about a cable or line, and, more specifically, to the class of tool known in the art as a serving mallet.

In devices of this class heretofore proposed for seizing or wrapping a length of marline about a cable it has been the general practice to supply the marline from a spool or roll unattached to the serving mallet Or to cut a length of marline sufiicient for the purpose and apply the marline to I ment of the serving mallet and it frequently happens that the marline becomes entangled with the cable and thus considerable time i wasted during the wrapping process as a result of this entanglement.

In the device of the present invention a copious supply of marline is arranged on a spool or bobbin rotatab-ly secured to the handle of the serving mallet. The marline is drawn from the spool preferably through an aperture within the aforesaid handle and. thence along grooved portions of the serving mallet from whence the marlin is Wrapped tightly about the cable as the mallet is rotated about the cable. An arrangement is thus provided in which the marline to be wrapped is supported by the serving mallet continuously and in which the supply of marline rotates with the mallet by reason of the support therefor secured to the handle of the mallet and thus there is no possibility of the marline becoming entangled during the wrapping process. Furthermore, by supplying marline from a rotatable bobbin secured to the handle of the tool in the manner disclosed, a uniform tension is applied to the marline as the tool is rotated about the cable and thus the wrapping of marline is uniforml tight throughout the length of the seizing.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of new and improved means for seizing a cable in which the serving material is prevented from becoming entangled during the seizing process.

Another object is to provide a new and improved mallet for serving a cable in which the serving material is obtained from a source of sup- 2 ply secured to the handle of the mallet and rotatable therewith.

Still another object is the provision of a new and improved tool for seizing a cable in which the time required to complete the seizing operation is substantially reduced.

Still other objects, improvements and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation of a preferred form of the device;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken along th line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view of the device showing an arrangement of marline thereon suitable for seizing a cable;

Fig. 5 is a view of the device partially broken away similar to Fig, 4 showing the cable wrapped to the point where the device is removed therefrom;

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows an alternative arrangement of wrapping of the marline about the device; and,

Fig. 8 shows the complete serving about the cable prior to tightening the locking turns thereof.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof there is shown thereon a serving mallet indicated generally by the numeral H3 comprising a head H having a handle 12 secured thereto. The serving mallet may be composed of any suitable material but I prefer to employ wood for thi purpose. The head of the mallet is preferably cylindrical in shape and provided with an arcuate recessed portion l3 within which the cable or line is adapted to be arranged during the wrapping process.

The head of the mallet is also provided with a pair of annular grooved portions I4 and I5 arranged on opposite sides of the handle having grooved branch portions I6 and I! extending therefrom and about the aforesaid handle. The handle is provided with a U shaped bracket !8 secured thereto by the bolt l5 and nut 2|, the upper portion of the bracket being secured in any suitable manner to a support 22 arranged preferably within a grooved portion 23 within the end of the handle. The support 22 has a pair of outwardly projecting arms 2*!- adapted to support a bolt 25 passing therethrough upon which is rotatably mounted a spool or bobbin 26, a pair of washers 2'! being provided preferably between the edge of the bobbin and the arms 24 thereby to insure rotative movement of the bobbin with respect to th arms as the marline 23, Fig. 4, is unwound therefrom. The bolt 25 i provided with a nut 29 threaded thereon and a spring washer 3| disposed beneath the head of the bolt whereby a small frictional load is continuously applied to the bobbin 26 b the nut 29 suflicient to prevent overrun of the bobbin as the marline is unwound therefrom.

In accordance with the arrangement of Figs. 4 to 6, as the marline is withdrawn from the bobbin it passes through an aperture or guide 32 thereby providing a fairlead within the handle having rounded or chamfered ends 33 to facilitate the movement of the marline therethrough. After passing through the guide 32 the marline is arranged within the grooved portion 15 of the head of the mallet and continues through the grooved portion l'l thereof from whence the marline passes about the cable 34. The device of the present invention is adapted for various uses such, for example, as seizing the end of the cable 34 thereby to form a loop 35. When so employed it has been found advantageous to wrap the serving about an end 3'6 of the marline disposed parallel to the axis of the cable and in contact therewith thereby to secure the end of the serving 36 to the cable.

From the foregoing it will beapparent that the cable ma be wrapped with a serving such as shown on Fig. by merely rotating the tool IE! about the cable. In practice it has been found desirable to clamp the cable at the looped portion thereof in some suitable manner as by a vise while the cable is being wrapped.

When a sufficient number of turns of wrapping have been applied to the cable, Fig. 5, the mar line is cut at a suitable point preferably intermediate the bobbin and the handle and the tool may now be withdrawn from the work, the length of marline wrapped about the cable being prevented from becoming loose at this time by pressure manually applied thereto or by the employment of a clamping device for securing the serving to the cable. Several additional turns of serving are loosely wound about the cable and the end of the cable passed therebeneath as in Fig. 8, it now being merely necessary to tighten each of the added turns in succession and. draw the end 31 snugly therebeneath to lock the end of the serving. When this has been done the end portion 31 is severed close to the serving and the serving operation is completed.

In Fig. 7 the marline 28 is wrapped completely around the head ll of the serving mallet at the grooved portion E5 thereof after passing through the duct 32, the marline continuing through the grooved portion ll of the serving mallet and being wrapped completely about the head of the mallet at the grooved portion I 4 thereof before being wrapped about the cable 34. In this arrangement the frictionalload on the marline is increased by reason of the additional wrapping of the marline about the head of the mallet and the tension of the marline as it is wrapped about the cable is thereby greater than when the arrangement of Fig. 4 is employed. In the event that it is desired to increase the snugness of the wrapping still further, the marline may pass additionally within the grooved portion l6 before being applied to the cable, It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various combinations of wrappings about the grooved portions [4, l5, l6 and H may be employed to enable the seizing to assume a predetermined degree of snugness about the cable and to be wound in either direction thereabout. Furthermore, if desired, the marline may be arranged to pass from the duct 32 directly to the grooved portion M of the mallet from whence the marline continues by way of grooved portions IE or II, as the case may be.

Whereas the invention has been described with particularit with reference to seizing a loop of cable or line, it is obviously not so limited as it may be employed for seizing and splicing a plurality of cables or lines and for serving the end of a single cable or line.

While the invention has been described with reference to a particular example thereof which gives satisfactory results it will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is my intention, therefore, in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

The invention herein described and claimed may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A serving mallet of the character disclosed having a handle, an articulated U shaped support secured to said handle and projecting outwardly therefrom, a bobbin rotatably secured to said support and having a length of marline wound thereon, an arcuate recessed portion within said mallet within which the cable is adapted to be arranged, a fairlead disposed within the handle through which the marline is adapted to pass, a pair of grooved portions on said mallet adapted to snub the marline by movement therein, and means including a U-shaped groove on said mallet and disposed about the handle in communication with said pair of grooved portions for causing the direction of movement of the marline through one of said pair of grooved portions to be opposite to the direction of movement of the marline through the other of said pair of grooved portions as the mallet is rotated about the cable.

2. In a mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a head having opposed concave and convex surfaces converging to a pair of transverse lips, a pair of annular grooves arranged in predetermined spaced relation on said convex surface, each of said annular grooves extending between said pair of lips, a circular groove on the convex surface and disposed between said annular grooves, a plurality of additional grooves on the convex surface in communication with said annular and circular grooves, said grooves being adapted to receive said marline substantially interfittingly, a handle secured to said head and disposed concentrically with respect to said circular groove, and a bobbin rotatably supported on said handle and having a length of marline thereon adapted to be guided and snubbed by said grooves thereby to apply a predetermined tension to the marline as the mallet is rotated about said cable.

3. In a mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a head having opposed concave and convex surfaces conver ing to a pair of transverse lips, a, pair of annular groove arranged in predetermined spaced relation on said convex surface, each of said annular grooves extending between said pair of lips, a circular groove on the convex surface and disposed between said annular grooves, a plurality of additional grooves on the convex surface in communication with said annular and circular grooves, said grooves being adapted to receive said marline substantially interfittingly, a handle secured to said head and disposed concentrically with respect to said circular groove, a bobbin rotatably supported on said handle and having a length of marline thereon, and a fairlead transversely arranged within said handle and adapted to receive said marline, said fairlead and grooves serving to guide the marline along a predetermined path about said handle and head thereby to apply a predetermined tension to the marline as the mallet is rotated about said cable.

4. In a serving mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a substantially cylindrical head having a longitudinal recess for receiving the cable, a plurality of intersecting grooves arranged on the surface of the head, said grooves being adapted to receive said marline substantially interfittingly, a handle secured to said head, a bobbin supported on said handle and having a length of marline thereon, and a fairlead extending transversely through the handle for receiving the marline, said fairlead and grooves serving to guide the marline along a predetermined path about said handle and head thereby to apply a predetermined tension to the marline as the mallet is rotated about said cable.

5. In a serving mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a substantially cylindrical head having a longitudinal recess for receiving the cable, a handle therefor, a bobbin rotatably supported on the handle and having a length of marline thereon, and a plurality of grooves arranged on the surface of the head and providing at least one U-shaped path about the handle along which the marline may be trained thereby to guide and snub the marline as the mallet is rotated about the cable.

6. In a serving mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a head having opposed concave and convex surfaces converging to a pair of transverse lips, a pair of annular grooves arranged in predetermined spaced relation on said convex surface and extending between said pair of lips, each of said grooves comprising end portions and an intermediate contracted portion therebetween of substantially one-half the width of each of the end portions, a handle secured to said head and disposed intermediate said pair of annular grooves, a pair of U-shaped grooves of the same width respectively as the contracted portion of each of said annular grooves and the bight portions of which mutually overlap and lie in opposed contiguous relation to said handle and the ends of which extend into the annular grooves at the junction of the end portions with the contracted portions thereof, and a bobbin supported for rotation on said handle and having a length of marline thereon adapted to be guided and snubbed by said grooves thereby to apply predetermined tension to the marline as the mallet is rotated about said cable.

7. In a serving mallet for wrapping a length of marline about a cable, the combination of a head having opposed concave and convex surfaces con- :verging to a pair of transverse lips, 21 pair of annular grooves arranged in predetermined spaced relation on said convex surface and extending between said pair of lips, each of said grooves comprising widened end portions and an intermediate contracted portion therebetween of substantially one-half the width of each of the end portions, a handle secured to said head and disposed intermediate said pair of annular grooves, a pair of U-shaped grooves of the same width respectively as the contracted portion of each of said annular grooves and the bight portions of which lie in opposed contiguous relation to said handle and the ends of which extend into the annular grooves at the junction of the widened end portions with the contracted portions thereof, and a bobbin supported for r0- tation on said handle and having a length of marline thereon, said grooves providing a continuous path including said widened end portions along which the marline may be trained, said widened end portions accommodating adjacent portions of the marline thereby to wind the marline uniformly around the cable as the mallet is rotated thereabout.

8. In a tool for seizing the cable with a single wrapping of marline, the combination of a mallet head having an arcuate recessed portion within a which the cable is adapted to be arranged, a pair of circular grooves arranged on the surface of the head transversely to said arcuate recessed portion, said grooves being adapted to receive said marline substantially interfittingly, a handle secured to said head intermediate said circular grooves, a bobbin supported on said handle and having a length of marline thereon, and means including a plurality of branched grooves intersecting said first named grooves for providing a continuous path for said marline whereby two loops of marline may be formed about the mallet and cable, said loops being disposed on opposite sides of said handle.

ALFRED A. LAUGHERY, JR. 

